Dandelion Preschool

Inclusion: Expected standard

When children first start, staff gain a range of information from parents. This helps staff understand children's individual needs, backgrounds and any areas of development that may need more support. Staff liaise with other settings children attend in addition to the pre-school or settings previously attended. This helps them to gather and share information to support children's needs consistently. Staff work with outside professionals, when needed, and take on board guidance to help them to close gaps in children's learning.

Staff receive appropriate support and relevant training to help them identify and respond to any concerns about children's development and progress. Where children need extra support in their learning, staff put in place focused plans and activities to target areas of development, such as speech and social skills. They regularly observe, monitor and review children's learning and development. This helps staff to consistently understand children's progress, along with any gaps in learning that need closing. Staff carefully consider the use of additional funding and take account of children's individual learning and wellbeing needs. This helps staff identify resources that will make a difference to children. For example, staff use this funding to provide dens to offer quiet spaces to children to support their self-regulation. They bought crates and planks to support children's interests, which in turn help them to gain attention skills.

Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard

Staff and leaders understand the aims of the curriculum, which identifies how this supports all children to achieve over time with a particular focus on supporting language skills. They identify areas to improve for the curriculum, such as offering more activities that help children to investigate and support their concentration. Staff know the children's learning needs and next steps in learning well. Staff closely monitor all children's learning, development and progress, which helps them to identify any areas that may need extra support. They offer focused activities, such as small-group activities, to support children's listening skills and language development.

Staff read books to children. Children show they are familiar with books as they talk about what happens and say the words and phrases. Some whole group activities work well as staff use effective teaching, including some sign language to support children's understanding. Children suitably engage and offer their ideas at this time. However, there are times when teaching during large-group activities is not well matched to children's different stages of development. This sometimes leads to some children losing interest. Sometimes, staff do not build on their discussions with children to help extend their knowledge and understanding further.

Staff plan interesting sensory activities that help engage children in their play. Overall, activities and staff interactions support children's learning and progress well. Staff get down to children's level to interact and support them at activities. They engage children in discussions about their feelings to help them express these. Staff use daily routines securely, including to count and explore number, when completing the register and at snack time talk about cutting fruit into halves. Staff promote children's social and physical skills, such as making obstacle courses together.

Achievement: Expected standard

Children gain suitable knowledge and skills to help them become ready for their next stage in learning. They develop their confidence and social skills well, enabling them to play alongside and with other children. Children develop their independence and self-care, such as following routines to wash their hands before eating. Children are beginning to gain awareness of looking after belongings, such as when mending books with staff and receiving reminders to hang up their coats when they come indoors.

Children build on their small and large physical skills. For instance, children use tools safely. They experiment as they grate natural materials and observe how this changes. However, sometimes the organisation of large-group activities does not support children's listening and attention skills as well as possible, although children with additional needs do receive support, such as small-group language sessions, to help them develop their vocabulary and sentence structure. All children typically progress well and move forward from their initial starting points.

Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: Expected standard

Leaders and staff have created a warm and welcoming environment, where children happily engage in their play and activities. They encourage parents to ensure their children attend regularly, including arriving on time for their session so that they benefit from their time at pre-school. Staff offer exciting resources that capture children's curiosity and investigation. For example, children have fun together as they make and listen to sounds they create through tubes.

Children follow the daily routines well and cooperate with these. Sometimes, large- group activities are not so well considered to help all children maintain their interest and attention. Staff promote positive messages about expected behaviour, including it is kind to share and take turns with resources. They guide younger and newer children in understanding these expectations appropriately, such as giving gentle guidance and explanations when required. Staff help children reflect on their feelings and develop an awareness of respecting others. Children are confident and form positive relationships with staff and each other. They understand what behaviour is expected with older children being able to ask their friends if they can take a turn with a resource.

Children's welfare and wellbeing: Expected standard

The positive relationships children form with staff enable them to confidently express their needs and feelings and to seek support and help when they need to. For example, children ask for staff's help to pull stacked cups apart after trying to do this themselves. Children benefit from daily routines that are familiar, where they can make choices and decisions for themselves, such as when to eat snack.

Staff help children to recognise their feelings and emotions and to become aware of their safety. For instance, staff explore with children about what the teapot may feel like if it had hot water inside and whether it would be safe to touch.

Children develop their independence and self-care appropriately, including learning to use tissues. They follow good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands before eating. Staff provide suitable information to build on children's awareness of healthy lifestyles. Children benefit from activities that include making healthy lunches. Children recall information from recent activities, such as knowing when they need to clean their teeth.

Children have opportunities to develop their small- and large-physical skills through different activities and outings. Staff plan activities for children to strengthen their hands and fingers, such as dough and threading. Children benefit from outings to the park to use larger play equipment and visits to the allotment, where they dig and explore the natural world.

Leadership and governance: Expected standard

A new leadership team has brought new ideas to the pre-school. They are identifying and working towards improvements. This includes offering staff more training and professional development focused on teaching skills. However, leaders' monitoring of staff's practice is not always as precise as possible to effectively identify where staff need to develop their teaching further. Staff approached say they feel supported in their work and wellbeing. Leaders and staff make effective use of local facilities to enhance children's experiences. Leaders and staff recognise that the implementation of a curiosity approach particularly supports children with gaps or barriers to their learning, which promotes their development and progress.

Parent partnerships are positive. Parents speak highly about their children's experiences and about the staff's communication with them, including through the recently introduced online app. Staff provide information to parents about their children's learning, which helps to support a consistent approach between the pre-school and home. They talk to parents about any developmental concerns and signpost them to seek further support, such as from health professionals. Staff encourage parents to understand the importance of early referrals to outside professionals, when appropriate, to ensure children get the help they may need.